A Killing Cure: A Jane Lawless Mystery

Hart, whose Stage Fright is a 1992 Lamda nominee for Best Lesbian Mystery, hits her stride with this lively tale that follows Minneapolis restaurateur/sleuth Jane Lawless as she delves into the secrets of the prestigious Amelia Gower Women's Club. Death has claimed two directors of the philanthropic Gower Foundation, also founded by Amelia. Charlotte Fortnum is strangled during an evening walk and Rose Gower, a descendant of Amelia, takes a fatal fall down the stairs at the club. The police arrest Emery Gower, recently fired by Charlotte from his job at the foundation, for the strangling and rule Rose's death accidental. But board members Mae Williams and Miriam Cipriani suspect foul play and ask Jane to investigate. Once she agrees, however, they prove remarkably obstructive. Dorrie Harris, a Gower club member whom Jane has been dating, aspires to a now-vacant board position and discourages Jane's snooping, while Cordelia Thorn, Jane's colorful sleuthing partner and new club member, is ready to forge ahead. Jane and Cordelia make a successful duo as entertainers and investigators, resolving all mysteries but this small one: While Jane probes the club's nooks and crannies, who's running her restaurant? (Sept.)